Optional use of ttfautohint

[backflip]

What do you think about using ttfautohint if present, similar to https://github.com/sapegin/grunt-webfont/blob/master/tasks/engines/node.js#L125 ? Or do you think this should be done at the level of svg2ttf, if at all?

[nfroidure]

@backflip i think it should be done with another independent module, you could make one by compiling ttfautohint with Emscripten or wrap it in a node module http://www.freetype.org/ttfautohint/doc/ttfautohint.html#the-ttfautohint-api).

You could also just use gulp-spawn https://npmjs.org/package/gulp-spawn to transform TTF contents. Something like that:

svg2ttf()
  .pipe(spawn({
    cmd: 'ttfautohint',
    args: [
      '/dev/stdin',
      '/dev/stdout'
    ]
  }))

If you get it working, let me know, i'll add it to gulp-iconfont as an option.

[nfroidure]

FYI, a working version of using gulp-spawn and ttfautohint is:

g.spawn({
  cmd: '/bin/sh',
  args: [
    '-c',
    'cat | ttfautohint /dev/stdin /dev/stdout | cat'
]})

Unfortunately, i had to disable it from my build since my ttfauthint version throws wierd errors...

[gulp] Error in plugin 'gulp-spawn': Error code `0x40' while autohinting font:
  out of memory

Let me know if your ttfautohint version works.

[nfroidure]

In fact, it seems ttfautohint can't read from stdin and write to stdout...

[nfroidure]

Ok, will have to update to 0.9.3:

New in 0.93:

• The TTY version of ttfautohint now acts like a (Unix) filter, this
  is, it accepts stdin and stdout as input and output, respectively.

http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/freetype-announce/2012-10/msg00000.html

[backflip]

Sounds great!

[nfroidure]

TTFAutoHint usage is now possible with Gulp iconfont.